


Crossing Paths

by Hopedanglesonastring, Writerforquinn



Category: Impractical Jokers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-04-11 19:21:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19116103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hopedanglesonastring/pseuds/Hopedanglesonastring, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerforquinn/pseuds/Writerforquinn
Summary: This is a "Reader Chooses" story. We are trying something a little different. Every chapter there will be two options at the bottom on what you would like to see happen next. Based on what you would like to see is what will be written next. A way to involve you just a little more! Comment at the bottom to vote. Voting will end 48 hours after originally posted. Get in on the fun!Co written with @hopedanglesonastring





	1. Friendly Acquaintances

Bailee Davis let out a deep breathe. The breakfast rush was over and now she had a couple hours until the lunch crowd would start pouring in. She had been working at The Old Tyme Diner in Greenwich Village for about 5 months now and overall was very much enjoying it. The customers were nice and the tips were decent. 

She was pretty new to New York and didn't have any friends or family in the area. So at night she filled her time pursuing a long time dream of hers, acting. One of the diner regulars was an off- Broadway play director and thought she would be perfect as an extra a few months ago. She couldn't resist and took him up on the offer. Shortly after doing some extra work, she was given some work that involved a few lines; it wasn't much but she was loving it. Most importantly, it was off Broadway, so it wasn't like she would be seen too much. 

A couple of the girls she worked with were always asking for her to come out for drinks or go to the movies but Bailee always turned down the nice offers. To be honest living in New York on your own was expensive, so any dollar she made she needed. Plus building relationships with people was exactly what she was trying to avoid. That was the whole purpose of picking New York, 8.5 million people in the city made it very easy to blend in and be invisible. 

As she stocked the coffee she caught in her sight someone she hadn't seen in a couple weeks. Blushing lightly with her back still turned she poured an iced tea and made her way over towards the corner booth by the window, the seat he always picked when it was opened. "Good morning stranger." She smiled warmly setting the drink down. 

"Good morning gorgeous." He replied back with a subtle wink. He wore an American flag scarf with a red flannel shirt and jeans. 

"Haven't seen you in a while." She said trying her best to ignore the gorgeous comment. He always called her something like honey, sweet heart, beautiful. However the way he did it was charming, not cocky like a lot of other guys that she waited on. 

"Been away for work for a bit. Good to finally be home." He responded. "How's Cooper?" He asked referring to Bailee's King Charles Spaniel. The dog was her pride and joy and she had a picture of him clipped to the inside of her order book so he always made it a point to ask about him. 

"He's in trouble, came home last night and he ate two pairs of my tennis shoes. So he's not to have any treats for the rest of the week!" She said playfully putting her hands on her hips. 

He smiled at her as she talked. The fact that she called them tennis shoes was just another clue that she wasn't from around here. New York girls called them sneakers. This waitress had caught his attention three months ago but she was so mysterious. He didn't know where she was from, what brought her to New York, and besides hanging out with her dog what she did for fun. On a whim he strolled into this diner for a quick bite to eat before work and he now drove the 45 minutes a few times a week just to see her. 

"What you reading this time?" She asked pointing to the book he had resting on the table top. 

"All about the final days of Elvis." He answered. 

She let out the cutest laugh he was sure he ever heard. "Another Elvis book? I feel like you've read like 5 already!" She teased. 

"Nothing wrong with that!" He defended. "Who isn't a fan of Elvis?" 

Scrunching her face she shrugged her shoulders, "I mean he's okay I guess!" 

"Woah woah!" He exclaimed grabbing his heart dramatically, "You're talking about the King of Rock and Roll!" 

Bailee giggled again then jokingly bowed, "My deepest apologies to the King." Once they both finished laughing, she grabbed the menu off the table that she knew he didn't even open. "Your usual?" She asked. 

"Please, thanks honey." He responded then enjoyed the view of her walking away back to the counter.  
________________________________  
"Just in case you need to slip out soon." Bailee said as she dropped a folded up check on the table. She knew who he was and what he did for a living and sometimes he had to leave in a hurry. Even though she knew who he was, she never brought it up. It was nice to talk to him like a regular person and not a celebrity and she figured he enjoyed that she never treated him like a famous person. 

As he set down some cash he lightly grabbed her hand as she reached for the payment. "When are you gonna let me take you out?" He asked. 

Bailee flinched a bit at the contact. She wasn't used to friendly touches, especially from men, but his felt different. It felt gentle, it felt warm. She knew her cheeks must have been awfully rosy but she tried to play it off, "I told you, I'm not your type." She smiled. 

"Yeah you've said that and that's really not fair. How do you know what my type is?" He asked. 

"I can guarantee it isn't waitresses trying to make ends meet working at a tiny New York diner. I'm sure there's much more interesting women out there." She answered. 

"That's where you're wrong, Bailee. You might be the most interesting person I've ever met." He said staring into her bright blue eyes. 

Things were getting a little too personal for her comfort. "Thanks for stopping in. I'll see you soon?" She asked kindly. 

He sighed in defeat, "One of these days, you'll go out with me." He called after her. 

Back in the kitchen Lucy, one of the other waitresses, blocked Bailee from getting by. "I can't understand what is wrong with you." She laughed. "Guy like that is here all the time to see you and has asked you out at least a dozen times and you keep saying no. Do you know who that is?!" She asked. 

Bailee laughed at Lucy's comment. "Yeah I know who he is. But I'm not looking to date anyone." 

"Who said anything about dating?! Just go out and then fuck his brains out!" Lucy said. 

"Jesus Lucy!" Bailee shouted laughing hysterically. "I'm not like that. Now drop the subject please. I'm going downstairs to get more ketchups." 

Lucy looked over and saw him gathering up his book, keys, and hat and with Bailee downstairs decided to go over there. "Hey!" She called out to him before he got to the door. "Cherry Lane Theatre." She said. 

"I'm sorry?" He asked confused. 

"Bailee. She's in a play tonight at the Cherry Lane Theatre." Lucy explained. 

"She's an actress?" He asked pretty surprised. Bailee seemed so shy and timid, he couldn't imagine her up on stage performing. 

"It's only a small part but she's really good. The director keeps offering her bigger roles but she won't take them. But if you're interested in seeing her outside of here I'd start there." She said smiling. Clearly he had a thing for Bailee, it was kinda obvious. 

"Thanks." He smiled graciously then opened the door to leave.

"By the way..." Lucy added quickly, "Love your show." 

"Thanks." He said with a friendly wink.  
________________________________  
Later that night Sal followed close on Brian's heels walking along Commerce Street. "I don't understand why you're dragging me to a play neither of us have ever heard of." Sal complained thinking of about 10 different things he would rather be doing tonight. Then it suddenly dawned on him, "Wait a minute..." he said stopping in his tracks. "This is about a girl. It has to be." Sal sighed. Brian Quinn did not have the best track record when it came to women. "Out with it, who is she?" 

"Just a girl from this diner I go to sometimes." He then smiled thinking of beautiful Bailee. "She's really smart and sweet and funny and god is she gorgeous." 

"And won't give you the time of day." Sal said with a smile and laugh. "So now you're stalking her play." 

"Will you just come on!" Brian shouted heading into the theatre. Sal Vulcano was a little more willing to go now out of pure curiosity.  
_______________________________  
The play was actually really good. Both men were enjoying themselves a lot. About halfway through, Brian spotted her. She was playing the friend of the lead character. "That's her." Brian whispered to Sal. 

"She's cute." Sal said back. 

"She's more than cute man, she's fucking beautiful." Brian said in a harsh whisper. 

On top of that and even though she didn't have that many lines, as Lucy had said, she was very good. 

Shortly before the play ended, Brian motioned for Sal to get up and they quietly slipped out before the end. Sal followed as Brian made his way to a nearby store and watched as he purchased a bouquet of flowers and asked the clerk for a piece of paper. "Got a pen?" He asked Sal. 

Sal handed one over and watched him scribble something down. Quickly they walked back and Brian handed off the flowers and note to one of the ushers whispering something to him. "Alright let's head out." He said to Sal. 

"Wait all that and we aren't staying?" Sal asked confused. 

"Nope, lets go." Brian ordered.  
______________________________  
"Bailee!" Jonathan, the usher, called out. "These were left for you." 

Bailee's heart dropped in fear. Who knew she was here and would be sending flowers? For a split second she thought the worst. With shaky hands she took the flowers and opened the note. 

 

You were incredible. Can't believe you didn't tell me you were in a play. Since you won't give me your number figured I'd give you mine.  
-Brian  
(202) 430-1067

Bailee was speechless. Brian was here tonight. She couldn't believe it.  
________________________________

 

 

Bailee has a choice to make. Does she...  
1) Call when she gets home.  
2)Ignore the note and wait until she sees him at the diner next.

Each choice leads to a different path! 

Typically voting will be for 48 hours but to give people enough time to catch on we will keep it going until noon on Sunday (Eastern Time). We publish on two different sites so keep that in mind! 


	2. Haunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co written with Hopedanglesonastring

Cooper rested his furry snout on his mommas lap, his big baby blue eyes looking at her adoringly with love. The clock ticked a little past 11:23 pm. For the past 20 minutes since arriving home to her small studio apartment in Downtown Brooklyn, Bailee has been seated on the old plaid couch she bought from Goodwill when she moved in. Her hand alternated between petting Cooper and fiddling with the note that she must have read a 100 times by now. 

"What'd ya think Coop? He's awfully cute." Bailee quizzed the pup before leaning down and planting a kiss on his head. Bailee smiled to herself thinking about Brian. It had been a long time since a man made her blush like he had. Closing her eyes, she inhaled a deep breath and smiled to herself thinking back to their conversations the last few weeks. "I guess a drink wouldn't hurt...” Bailee said as she opened her eyes and went to grab her phone.

Bailee stopped short once she laid eyes on it. It was just a small black flip phone that you had to load minutes on that she purchased at the local corner market. But it brought her back to reality. Sadness crept up spilling over through her eyes. She had come so far, she couldn't risk it. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she grabbed the phone and typed in the number he scribbled down. Taking a deep breathe she secretly prayed it would go straight to voicemail. She stumbled slightly at first when he picked up on the third ring.

"Hey Brian, its Bailee."  
________________________________

It was a little before 9 a.m. on a Saturday but it was surprisingly slow. Lucy’s shift was cut from a 6 a.m. start to 9 a.m. so she was just on her way in. Bailee was busy pouring coffee in several mugs before glancing up and seeing Lucy making her way towards her with a smile. "Bet you're proud of yourself, huh!" Bailee pretended she was serious before rolling her eyes and giving a small smile.

Lucy instantly relaxed, "No idea what you're talking about! How was the show?" she giggled innocently before finally getting to Brian. “So, tell me! Did you finally agree to go on a date with him?”

Bailee shook her head and turned her body towards Lucy's. "Lucy, I appreciate what you did, but please don't do anything like that again. I came to New York for a fresh start. I'm not looking for anything like that right now. Please understand that, ok?" Grabbing the tray of coffees, she smiled one more time at Lucy before heading to serve her table.  
________________________________

The slam of the front door jolted him up from the couch he was sprawled out on. Looking around his living room, he slowly began piecing together the events of the night before. After the play he and Sal headed to a bar for a few drinks. Which turned into many drinks. His head began to hurt more when he remembered the phone call with Bailee. He groaned as he tried to stand, "Fuck" he whispered under his breath as he made his towards the kitchen.

"He lives." Sal joked loudly as Brian winced in pain. "I got coffee, I got bagels. Eat dude you must be starving. You went hard after diner girl turned you down."

Brian downed a bottle of water he just grabbed out of his fridge. "Bailee, her name is Bailee," he said reaching into his cabinet for some aspirin. "And she didn't turn me down exactly." 

"Um... pretty sure ‘thank you for coming tonight but I'm not going out with you' is being turned down but... I dunno what the kids these days call it or are doing so," Sal half shrugged playfully.

 

Brian chuckled as he spread cream cheese on his bagel. "That’s not exactly how she put it." He laughed, "She's just shy Sal." 

Shaking his head, Sal responded, "Look bud you took a swing and ya missed. I'm sure there will be plenty of gorgeous women Sunday at Dean's wedding that will be more than happy to be on the receiving end of that ol’ BQ charm."

Brian rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter, "Speaking of weddings…it's been two years. When are you popping the question to Steph?" 

Sal’s face blushed red but he smiled and nodded, "Its crazy man that I finally found her. I love that girl. You'll find it too bud. 6pm dinner rehearsal tonight. Meet you there? I'll text you the address. Take a shower, you stink" he said leaning into hug his childhood friend before he headed out.

Brian patted Sal on the back, "See ya bud."  
________________________________

Hustling down the street, she only lived about 5 minutes from the church but she was still running late. She arrived home early today from the diner at around 2pm after her shift was cut since it was slow. Fortunately she still had the last minute catering/ banquet gig tomorrow thanks to her boss, who recommended Bailee to the catering company after one of their regular waitresses broke her leg. Saturdays were meeting days and she hadn't missed a weekly meeting once in the 5 months she had been in New York and she promised herself she wouldn't but Bailee fell asleep on her couch, waking only a few moments ago. “Dammit” she muttered under her breathe once the sky opened up and the rain started falling.

Bailee arrived at the church and decided to head in the side entrance, which was closer to the Sunday school classroom her meeting would be taking place in. The weather must have kept some of the more familiar faces she had come to know over the last few months home because there weren’t many people in attendance. Taking a seat quietly, she usually didn’t offer up much in way of her own experience, however Brian was still on her mind and she figured now was as good as time as any to get involved.

“Would anyone like to go first today?” The group leader asked. Bailee realized she missed the beginning of the meeting where everyone joins hands and recites a prayer. Looking around, she didn’t see anyone’s hands go up so she decided to raise hers. “Yes, please stand and say your name.”

Once she was called on Bailee became nervous. She wasn’t used to all eyes being on her. Standing nervously she took a deep breath wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. “Hi, my name is Bailee,” she was shaking slightly as the few other woman who had been through what she has repeated back to her “Hi Bailee.”

“I’ve been in New York for about 5 months now. Things are good, I guess. It’s just my dog Cooper and I. I found a great waitress job and rent a small apartment not far from here. I am finally exploring my love for the Theatre and acting a little bit here and there. But anyway…there’s this guy…” Bailed spoke softly looking from her shoes and back to the few people in attendance. She saw the group leader smile gently and nod her head to keep going. “He comes in to the diner often. He is very sweet and has asked me out several times. But I keep turning him down. I’m not sure if I want to anymore. But I’m also not sure I’m ready.”

The group leader smiled. She was an older lady, with long black and silver hair. Her calming presence and soft spoken demeanor was always a comfort to Bailee but she couldn’t ever remember her name. “First, thank you for opening up to us and sharing a bit of your story with us. I think its great progress that you are interested in letting someone in romantically again. Tell us what your concerns are?” The group leader had walked over to where Bailee was standing and rested her hand gently on Bailee’s shoulder.

“Well, I mean, obviously there’s a lot of reasons. I don’t want to find myself back in the situation I was in. I came to New York to start over. Begin a new life. I didn’t factor in meeting someone.” Bailee had taken a seat on her chair again and looked around at the other members of the meeting.

The group leader spoke up, “You said something though that I found interesting. You said “I’m not sure if I want to anymore” in regards to turning him down. That is a wonderful sign, dear. It shows that you are ready to open yourself up again. Trust your gut. There could be no harm in meeting him one afternoon for coffee. You know yourself best and I know this isn’t an easy situation, but you are allowed to love again. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re a beautiful person who deserves love also.” The group leader smiled to Bailee before looking up and around the room. “Now, does anyone have anything else they would like to share?”

Bailee was no longer paying attention to the meeting. Her heart and mind were racing a mile a minute. The more she thought of Brian, the harder it was for her to resist that beautiful smile of his that would flash through her mind. But was she too late? She already told him no.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn was decorated lavishly for this afternoons wedding. Bailee had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. The popular party space had been draped in gorgeous pastel pinks and creams. Fragrant Peonies and Roses were on display everywhere you looked. Over 100 candles were lit, making the entire warehouse glow. It was absolutely stunning.

Bailee was slightly nervous after taking it all in. Waitressing in a diner was one thing, but such an extravagant wedding was a whole other story. Leann, the owner of the Red Table Catering interrupted her thoughts, “Alright Bailee. Why don’t you grab one of these trays and start mingling. Guests are arriving!” she said as she handed a tray of canapes.

Bailee smiled, “Absolutely, you got it!” Shaking off her nerves, she starting mingling amongst some of the wedding guests when a handsome man caught her eye. “You’ve got to be kidding me” she muttered under her breathe as she made a beeline for the kitchen.

 

DOES BAILEE:

1\. Make sure Brian sees that shes working the wedding?  
2\. Avoid him for the rest of the day.

Voting closes at noon on Saturday (Eastern Time)


	3. Just Let Me In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co written with Hopedanglesonastring

Bailey bolted to the kitchen to restock her tray with hors d'oeuvres. What were the chances in a city as big as New York, Brian would be here as a guest. She didn't wanna lose a chance at this job by dipping out. However she had just turned this guy down for a date. One of the chefs loaded her tray up with more crab cakes so she made her way back out to the function hall. 

Brian was distracted talking to someone so she took a second to admire from a distance. She had never seen him so dressed up before. He was in a black suit with a dark purple tie that matched the rest of the wedding party. However she couldn't help but smile when she saw that his tie was much more looser than the other groomsmen that she imagined he did right after the ceremony. On one of their conversation at the diner he happened to mention how much he hated dressing up and was much more of a jeans and T-shirt kinda guy. She watched as he held his beer and laughed with a group of people. He seemed to be having a really good time. There would be no harm is saying hi...right? 

She made her way over, having to stop a few times to give out food to people. When she was only a few feet away, a friend of his turned and look towards the tray. "Aw yeah, these things are delicious!" Murray cried out eager to take a napkin from Bailee's hand and grab one. "You guys want more of these?" He asked his group of friends. 

"Man I've had like 10 of those things, I'm good." Brian laughed as he turned around. It was then that he saw her, right there before him. "Bailee?!" He smiled. "What are you doing here?" 

"Hi." She smiled brightly then pointed to the tray, "I'm..umm..just working." 

"Small world." He muttered softly to himself. Brian smiled taking in the sight of her. Even in just black pants and a long sleeve shirt with her hair pulled up tightly in a ponytail, she looked beautiful. Man was he crushing on this girl. 

"Hey! It's Cherry Lane girl!" Sal called out as he walked up behind the group. 

When Bailee looked questionably at him Brian jumped in, "This is Sal, he came with me to your play." 

"You're really good too." Sal complimented. 

Brian started to make the introductions of his other friends to Bailee. "So you're an actress?" Joe asked shaking her hand. 

"Oh..umm not really. I have a small part in an Off Broadway play. It's seriously nothing." She stammered a bit over her words as she answered. 

"Don't be modest, it was a small part but you were really good." Sal encouraged. Bailee blushed at the compliment. She wasn't used to being the center of attention and started getting nervous. As she made small talk with his friends, she couldn't help but feel Brian looking at her. While everyone was talking she felt him inch closer and closer to her. Bailee wasn't the only one picking up on Brian's reaction to this cocktail waitress. Bessy Gatto stayed quiet as she observed one of her husband's best friend's actions. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her once. She wasn't used to seeing Q react in this way, he definitely thought she was something special. 

"You get me a drink?" A woman's voice asked from behind the guys. 

Bailee watched in horror as a short brunette grabbed onto Brian's arm. 

"No sorry, I didn't know what you would want." Brian answered. 

"Some date you are." The woman responded rolling her eyes and laughing. 

Bailee's heart sank. Her worst fear was coming to life; he had brought a date with him. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She turned him down, why wouldn't he bring a date. Bailee took a second to look at the woman who was still hanging by Brian's side. She was very petite with curly dark hair. Her dress looked expensive and her red bottomed heels must have been over four inches tall. Years ago, Bailee used to dress like this woman. Now here she was passing around appetizers to rich people that treated her like she was invisible. She didn't belong standing here talking to them anymore. "I just wanted to come over and say hi." She said with a forced smiled to Brian. "It was very nice meeting all of you." 

"Bailee hold on a second." Brian called out to stop her. Very rarely did Brian believe in destiny but he couldn't shake the feeling that running into Bailee tonight wasn't an accident. It was fate's way of telling him to keep trying. 

"I really need to get back to work." She said in almost a pleading voice and quickly did what Bailee did best...run away.   
________________________________  
Dinner was served and it was delicious. Every now and then Brian got a glimpse of Bailee walking by passing out various plates to people but refused to make eye contact with him. 

"I don't understand what I keep doing to scare this girl off." Brian said to his group of friends. 

Bessy rolled her eyes. "God men are so damn clueless sometimes." She said out loud finally voicing her thoughts. "You really didn't see what happened?" She laughed. 

"No please educate me, Mrs. Gatto." Brian said teasingly. 

"Everything was going fine until Jordan came over calling you her date." Bessy informed. 

"Wait what's going on?" Jordan Brown, Q and the other guys' long time friend, asked. 

"See that waitress over there." Bessy pointed to Bailee walking by about 5 tables down. "Q apparently knows her and when you came over she got spooked and ran. Clearly she thinks your his girlfriend." 

"You idiot!" Jordan exclaimed slapping Q upside the head. 

"Ouch!" Brian muttered rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?!" 

"Why didn't you tell me, I wouldn't have come over you jerk! Or at least I would have chose my words better." Jordan said rolling her eyes at how stupid her best friend was sometimes, especially when it came to women. 

Jordan Brown had been best friends with the Jokers since they were kids. Her and Brian grew up next door to each other so she had known him the longest. Everyone in their families were convinced for years that they would eventually start dating and get married but that couldn't be further from the truth. She looked at Q as a brother and nothing more. Jordan, along with other close friends of his, saw Brian through some tough times over the years. They both were also the worst at relationships which is why Jordan was usually Brian's plus one to everything. 

"How was I supposed to know she was going to be here?!" Brian snapped. "Besides I've asked her out dozens of times and keep getting the same answer." 

Just hearing that Q had asked out the same girl multiple times was odd for Jordan to hear. Brian Quinn never wasted his time chasing the same girl. So this was a huge clue that her friend was really into this girl. "Just go over there and explain." Jordan demanded giving Q another slap this time across his chest. 

"Promise to stop fucking hitting me?!" Brian shouted getting up from the table and away from Jordan's nagging. 

Once he was gone she turned to Sal. If anyone had to dirt on this situation it would be him. "So who's the girl??"   
________________________________  
Brian had lost sight of Bailee and was staring to think she had left. As he waited for his beer at the bar he finally spotted her carrying plates back to the kitchen. Abandoning the beer with the bartender he went over to the doors that led to the kitchen and waited. She would have to come out of there again. 

Sure enough a minute later she exited through the swinging doors. "She's not my girlfriend if that's what you thought." He quickly said getting her attention. 

"What?" She asked trying to pretend that she had no idea what he was talking about. 

Brian smiled at the 'dumb act' she was portraying. "Jordan." He responded. "We're just friends. Have been since we were kids." He then spotted her not too far away flirting with some guy by the DJ and pointed for Bailee to look. It was clear to Bailee that Brian was telling the truth. They were not involved. She tried to ignore the happiness that was filling her at the moment now that she knew he was once again unattached. 

As good of an actress as Bailee was on stage, it did not come across in real life. It took two seconds for Brian to feel the difference in Bailee's mood now. "What time you finish?" He suddenly asked. 

Bailee cocked her head to the side in confusion which Brian found adorable. "I get that you don't wanna go out on a date...fine. But what if we just hang out?" 

"Tonight?" She asked her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.  

"No time like the present." He shrugged.

"You're at your friend's wedding!" She laughed.

A sexy smirk crossed Brian's lips, one that made Bailee have to remind herself to breath. "I've already done my groomsman duty. As far as I'm concerned, I won't be missed. So whatta say? You really gonna turn me down again?" 

Bailee smiled at Brian's continued efforts, he was persistent, she had to give him that. However she then looked down and saw what I mess she was from working all night. "I'm not really dressed to go out." She sighed dropping her hands down in defeat.

"I think you look fine don't worry." He said with a wink. And just like that Bailee knew there was no more turning him down. The way he just did that made her completely want to do anything he said. Something was itching at her that this man was going to do everything in his power to make Bailee go back on every promise she had made to herself. 

Brian headed back to his friends while Bailee went in the back to collect her pay for the night and help load up the van. "You both looked pretty cozy over there." Bessy smiled seeing Q come back pretty happy. 

Brian responded to Bessy comment with a kiss to the cheek. After all if she hadn't said anything he probably would have never put two and two together. "I'm heading out." He said to everyone. "Can you make sure Jordan gets home okay?" He asked Sal. 

"Umm... something tells me she's going home with someone tonight but it ain't gonna be any of us." Sal laughed pointing over across the room to Jordan now sitting on the guy she was chatting with's lap. 

Brian rolled his eyes at his friend's forwardness. "She's a big girl, she can handle herself." Right now he had more important things on his mind.   
________________________________  
"A hot dog cart?!" Bailee exploded with laughter. 

"It's not just a hotdog cart, it's the best one in all of New York City!" He replied smiling. "Besides you can't consider a hot dog cart a date so technically I'm not breaking any rules." 

"I guess you got me there." Bailee smiled. "Plus I'm starving!" 

Brian had ditched his suit jacket and unbuttoned his dress shirt a bit rolling up the sleeves. He had a relaxed demeanor about himself that Bailee was stating to mirror. She couldn't remember the last time she was relaxed in life. They walked along the harbor eating cheap street food and neither could remember the last time they had so much fun. Bailee finally admitted knowing what he did for a living and Brian explained how much he enjoyed her never saying anything. It was nice to just be Brian, diner customer, not Q of Impractical Jokers. What she didn't know was that he used to be a fireman and started asking him a hundred questions about that. 

After walking around looking at the boats for over an hour, Brian gestured to a bench that overlooked the George Washington Bridge and they both took a seat. "So I've been talking non stop for over an hour. You know everything about me and I still know the same amount of things about you as I did before." 

Bailee casually shrugged as she took a sip from her lemonade. "There's really not much to tell."

"So mysterious." He said with a smirk. "Looks like I gotta keep putting the puzzle together myself." 

"Oh I'm a puzzle?" She laughed. 

"Yup." He nodded then reached over taking a sip from her lemonade. "Pretty hard one too but I got a few things figured out." 

"Care to share your progress Detective Quinn?" She giggled. 

"Alright..." He started bumping into her gently with his shoulder. "Well for starters you talk about your dog like he's your son which I find completely and totally adorable. You underestimate yourself on everything, especially your talent on stage." 

"I told you it's just for fun." She interrupted. 

"I wasn't done!" He said playfully. 

"You're not from New York and your slight accent tells me you're from somewhere in the Midwest." As he spoke Bailee blushed more and more. This guy paid attention more than she thought any man ever had to her before. 

"And you have this scar across your neck that I've always been curious about." He said and ran his pinky very softly across her skin tracing the scar. "My guess is you fell off your bike or something as a kid." 

A shiver ran up Bailee's spine at the contact of him touching her. Her reactions took over and she flinch when he went to brush a strand of hair out of her face. "Sorry." He immediately apologized when he saw that he had frightened her. 

"It's okay." She responded. When she felt his touch again she leaned into it this time. It felt soft, it felt gentle, it felt different. At this point Bailee was so overcome with emotions she leaned so close in her lips were only inches away from his. 

"I just want you to let me in." He whispered. 

"I want to. Believe me I do." She answered in a quiet whisper. "I'm just not quite ready yet. I'm sorry." Bailee had never wanted to trust someone so much in her life but her memories and past wouldn't let her open up to him just yet. 

"When you're ready." Brian sighed. 

Without thinking Bailee moved slowly to his lips. His mouth immediately opened inviting her tongue in. For the first time in longer than Bailee could even remember, she felt a kindness to a kiss. All she had known for years was control. When she was usually kissed it was ownership. However sitting on this park bench overlooking the water being kissed with such grace and tenderness was indescribable. Bailee grabbed at the back of his neck pulling him closer. It was then that Brian got the hint that he could go a little rougher and lightly nibbled on her bottom lip smiling when he heard a soft moan come from her. Instinctively Brian was tempted to place his hands on her face when he passionately kissed a woman but with her flinching from a simple swipe of his hand he decided to hold off and let Bailee make the moves. 

Any reservations she was currently having she was screaming at them to shut up. She pushed herself up and kissed him harder racking her fingers through his dark hair. When she finally came up for air she stared at him breathlessly smiling. "Fuck...why do you have to be such a good kisser?" She growled in frustration. 

Brian burst out laughing, "Sorry about that." He smiled. Then with a very serious look on his face he caught her gaze, "I like you Bailee. I mean....do you know there are 23 places to get breakfast between my house and where you work? Foods good but come on...it's not that great." He laughed. 

Bailee felt things getting a little too heavy. She had already broken so many of her rules already. Her natural instinct to run was becoming too strong to ignore anymore. "Thank you for a great night but I should get going." She said. 

Brian sighed in defeat. "At least let me take you home."

Bailee had broken a lot of rules tonight but showing somewhere where she lived was one she had to stick to. "That's sweet but honestly I'll be fine." She answered as she got up and started to head for the path leading back to the street. 

Brian knew there was no point in arguing, "Have a good night Bailee. Get home safe." 

As she walked along the gravel path she stopped dead in her tracks. Turning on her heels she saw he was still sitting on the bench looking out into the harbor. "Valley City!" She called out. 

"I'm sorry?" He questioned looking over at her. 

"That's where I'm from. Valley City, North Dakota." She smiled then quickly headed back up the path. 

As he watched her walk along the lighting from the street lamps he smiled. It wasn't much but it was a start. Once she was gone from sight he looked down at his feet and noticed her backpack laying in the grass. He knew opening it would be a total invasion of privacy but it could hold more clues about her life. Brian sat with the bag on his lap very conflicted on what to do.   
______________________________________

Should Brian....

1) Return the bag to the diner in the morning and respect her privacy. 

2) Snoop through it and hopefully find out more about Bailee.

Voting closes on Thursday afternoon at 3pm (eastern time)


	4. Janey’s Got A Gun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta say you all surprised us! We thought for sure you would wanna see what’s in that bag lol! Looks like we got a lot of morally right readers! We love your support and all your votes, keep them coming!!

For the second time in the last two days, Bailee found herself running down the street. "Shit shit shit" she whispered under her breath as she jogged back to the bench her and Brian shared an amazing kiss at. Hoping to find one or the other, she found nothing. "Dammit!!" she yelled out loud chastising herself. 

A million things raced through her mind. How could she be so careless? What if he opened her backpack? He wouldn't understand. What if he calls the cops?"Fuck" she screamed out loud. Luckily she had snuck the key to her apartment in her pocket in case she had misjudged who Brian was and needed to defend herself. After all she's been a misjudge of character before.  
_______________________________

SAL: So what happened with Cherry Lane? Still with her?

The incoming text lit up his dark living room he was sitting in. Exhausted from the day’s events and utterly confused, Brian collapsed on his couch when he got home almost an hour ago. A beer was firmly stuck in his left hand while his right had fiddled with the zipper of the backpack.

BRIAN: She left behind her backpack. It’s heavy. Something's isn’t right with her man. She didn't offer up anything about herself. Practically ran from me at the end of the night. I'm thinking about opening it... probably could find out some things.

Brian knew going through the bag wasn't the right thing to do. Still temptation was staring him in the face and Brian was finding himself weak when it came to this girl.

SAL: Yeah, sure.. nothing says 'you can trust me' by going through her things. So I assume you'll be late to set again tomorrow?

Out of all of the jokers, Brian and Sal were the closest to each other. It wasn't surprising to Brian that Sal already knew he would be at the diner first thing Monday morning to return the bag to Bailee 

BRIAN: The Executive Producer of our television show decided to get married on a Sunday. Pretty sure that gives us a pass on being late bud.

______________________________  
The sun was shining bright this Monday morning as the temperature read 59 degrees on the side of the Courthouse in Valley City, North Dakota. 

Bradford Kyles was already annoyed at having to be here first thing on a Monday. But when the longest sitting judge in Barnes County tells you they want to see you, you listen. Especially if that person is your father.

"Bradford, it's going on five months. We need to deal with her." His honorable Bentley Kyles wasn't amused. 

After wrapping up one of the towns biggest corruption scandals involving several local officials in the towns history, the last thing he needed or wanted was the press sniffing around any more than they already had. The Kyles were no strangers to bad press. There had long been rumors around town for years that they were involved in tax fraud and several other shady dealings. Local news would come sniffing around every now and then, but money talks and the Kyles family had plenty.

"Father, it's Janey. She doesn't have it in her to utter a word to anyone. She'll be back soon. It's fine." Bradford checked himself out in the reflection of the China cabinet in his fathers chamber that held several historical artifacts and photos of the judge with famous politicians and celebrities. Giving himself a slight wink, he adjusted the collar of his pink Ralph Lauren polo shirt and ran his hand through his short dirty blonde Bair. Glancing down at his Piaget watch he turned back to his father, "I have a tee time with Chet. Relax Father. I'll handle it." He said before heading for the door.

________________________________

2,000 miles away, Bailee kept pacing back and forth at The Old Tyme diner. Her head kept glancing to the clock on the wall then back towards the tall windows facing the street. She hardly slept the night before. Her entire life was in that backpack. If she lost it all again over some guy, she’d never forgive herself.

“ORDER UP” the cook yelled from the kitchen startling Bailee back to her current reality. Grabbing the plate from the window, she dropped off the order of pancakes and eggs at a nearby table before the sound of the front doors bell jingling caught her attention.

Brian walked in causally with the backpack in his hand and took his usual seat in a booth towards the back. Looking around the restaurant a smile crept on his face as he spotted Bailee pouring coffee a few tables away. This girl was special and while he enjoyed their time together last night, he wanted more. If last night showed him anything about her, it was that he had to play his cards right. This wasn’t any girl.

“Oh Thank God!!,” she sighed loudly grabbing at the backpack as she came rushing up to his table.

“Good Morning to you too,” Brian grinned but narrowed his eyes on her intently. He observed as her body relaxed once she had the backpack back in her hands, leading him to believe there was something very important inside. 

Bailee leaned her head back and let out a small sigh as she squeezed the backpack to her chest, “Sorry, Sorry Brian. It’s just.. you have no idea....”

Interrupting her Brian spoke “What’s in there. Don’t worry. I didn’t go through it just so you know,” he explained as he took a sip of his coffee.

Bailee stared at him, unsure of what to say. “You didn’t open it?” she asked skeptical.

Brian was a little taken a back unsure of what she meant, “Bailee I don’t know what your story is...I’d like to. Its hard to trust people. I get it. But more often than not, the people you meet aren’t out to get you. I am not out to get you. I’d just like to take you out.” 

By this time, Bailee had taken a seat across from him in his booth. His warm voice soothed her worries, while his charm shone through brightly. Maybe it was time to take a chance on Brian. Maybe today was the day she would actually surprise him and herself. “Ask me again.”

Sitting across from her, Brian had to think for a second to make sure he heard her correctly, but was quick to reply, “Bailee will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” 

“Yes. I will, So, the usual?” she said standing to her feet grabbing the pen from behind her ear ready to take his order, as if what just happened was nothing new for her.

________________________________

Chet handed his putter over to his caddy after sinking his putt from five feet away then casually turned to Bradford, “Well, he’s right five months is a long time.”

Bradford threw his hands up in the air in frustration that his best friend was siding with his father. “Jesus Christ you too?!? It’s Janey. She’s one of us. She won’t make it. She’s never left North Dakota.”

Chet shook his head as both men took a seat in the golf cart as their caddy drove them to the next hole, “Listen man, your dad has every right to be concerned, especially if she witnessed the entire thing like he says. It could end him and it could end you. Plus your wife has been gone for five months. It’s not normal. All I’m saying is it’s time she’s handled.“

Bradford shook his head in annoyance . He knew Chet had a point. However he also was the only one who knew she wasn’t only running because of what she saw. She was also running from him. The thought instantly made Bradford see red. “She’ll never say a word. She doesn’t have it in her. But you’re right. It’s time she comes home.”

 

What would you like to happen next?

1\. Brian makes reservations at a fancy restaurant and buys tickets to a broadway show for him and Bailee

2\. Brian plans a low key date night which includes hitting his favorite dive bar and then taking her to his favorite place in the city. 

Voting closes on Saturday at noon!!!


	5. Questions Answered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co written with Hopedanglesonastring

It had been close to 7 years since Bailee had a first date with someone. She was so nervous she could barely put her eye makeup on because she was shaking so much. However it was a good kind of nervous. It was this butterflies in her stomach, blushing whenever she thought of him, constantly smiling type of nervous that she always heard people talk about but never quite experienced. 

The closest she ever got to this feeling was the first couple months with her ex. He was the guy to date in town and somehow she managed to grab his attention. However he was brought up much differently than she was and loved flaunting his money and popularity around. Every girl wanted him and he made sure to remind her of that every single day. 

"Whatta think Cooper?" Bailee asked spinning around in front of her pup. She didn't have much in her closet so when she got out of work headed to her favorite consignment shoppe in Greenwich Village and found a cute jean skirt. Pairing it with a white lacy top and tan sandals, it was a casual look but still nice for a night out. "Think he'll like it?" She asked her dog. 

Cooper picked up his left paw waving it in the air a few times like he always did when he was excited. Bailee giggled at her furry friend; bringing Cooper to New York with her was the best decision she ever made. She knew she would have regretted it everyday if she hadn't. "Let me just finish my hair and I'll take you out to go pee." She told Cooper petting him on the head as he jumped up on the sofa.  
________________________________  
It was late afternoon back in Valley City and Bradford was sitting in his Mercedes deep in thought. His dad had called him again flipping out about Janey. He had to get this dealt with before his dad started making rash decisions that involves cutting him out of the will or something. 

Bradford twirled the business card he was holding between his fingers. Finally he dialed the number and waited. "Tim Black please." Bradford said when the receptionist picked up. 

"I'm sorry he's unavailable at the moment. May I take a message." The young woman on the other line said. 

Bradford rolled his eyes. "Tell him it's Bradford Kyles. He'll take my call." 

"One moment please." She responded placing him on hold. Bradford checked his appearance in the visor mirror smirking at himself. Everyone took his calls. 

"Mr. Kyles?" A man's voice greeted picking up the line. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" 

"I hear your the best private investigator in the state. I need to find my wife. Do what you have to, price is no issue." Bradford explained as he began giving him all the information he had on where Janey could possibly be.  
________________________________  
Bailee jumped at the sound of her door buzzing. Never once had someone rang it, she never got visitors. Giving Brian her address was a huge step for her but he wasn't letting up and insisted on picking her up for their date. 

"Come on up!" She smiled as she talked into the intercom buzzing him in. 

Few minutes later there was a knock on her apartment door. She took a couple deep breaths, checked her appearance in the mirror one last time, then opened the door. "Hi." She smiled brightly seeing him leaning against her doorway looking flat out adorable. He had on a basic black button down dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up exposing his strong forearms and a pair of jeans. It didn't need to be a $200 shirt from Bergdorf to look good. 

"You look beautiful." He complimented as she stepped to the side to let him in. "These are for you." Brian said as he handed her a small bouquet of daisies he bought at the flower stand around the corner. 

"You seriously didn't have to." She said but couldn't contain her smile. Usually the only times she ever used to get flowers was after a bad night as a form of an apology. Bailee grabbed a glass water pitcher and started filling it. Being on a strict budget, she could afford things like vases so this would have to do. 

"And these are for Cooper." He said holding out a brown paper bag. 

"You did not bring my dog cookies?!" She exclaimed completely taken aback at him thinking of just about everything. 

"Well I didn't wanna bring you something and not him." He chuckled as he looked over at the scared little dog hiding under the coffee table. 

Cooper was crouched down with his ears flatten growling. "He's a little nervous around strangers." She said defending how he was acting. "He really is a sweet boy." Truth was that dog had been kicked and shoved so many times back home she didn't blame him for being so nervous. 

Brian reached into the bag pulling out a large cookie and set it down on the floor near the table. "I'm not a fan of strangers myself." He said to the scared little pup. "You have it when you're ready buddy." He immediately backed up so the dog would come out. 

Bailee smiled when she saw her best friend slowly come out from under the table and sniff at the treat. He looked up at Brian with his big brown eyes and wagged his tail as he grabbed the cookie then quickly retreated back to the table. "He says thank you." She said. 

"Tell him you're welcome." He responded but a part of him was wondering how much of a coincidence it was that both this girl and her dog were so afraid of the world.  
________________________________  
It had been so long since Bailee went out and enjoyed the night and she certainly never had done it in New York. Brian knew every single local bar. He told her he enjoyed it more because these places were a true representation of New York. They were warm, cozy, and full of people that just wanted to avoid the chaos and tourism. Most of these people had never been to the Empire State Building or Ellis Island. They avoided Times Square to the greatest of their ability. Everyone in these bars were Brian's people; no one cared that an Impractical Joker was in their presence and that's exactly how Brian liked it. 

Currently they were sitting at a local sports bar. It was nestled under the train station so every time one went by the whole building practically shook. Besides an occasional bottle of wine she would treat herself to, Bailee hardly drank anymore so the beers were starting to hit her hard at this point. Something that was also frowned upon before, women who drank beers were considered very trashy. A woman of class and status stuck to wine or the occasional cosmopolitan.

Now anytime she laughed she leaned in close to Brian who was sitting next to her in the booth. He felt her ease up more than he had ever before so took a chance and softly brought his hand to her shoulder and began rubbing gently. Bailee, enjoying the contact, leaned back into him and let him continue. Brian brought his other hand around and brushed her long hair off to the side so he could kiss her shoulder. "Your skin is so soft." He whispered into her neck and smiled when he felt her shiver a bit. 

"Your hands feel so good on me." She responded as she looked up at him with lust and want in her eyes. Normally, if this was any other girl, he would have made a comment about his hands making other body parts feel good but he stopped himself. Being like this with Bailee was still so new he didn't want to ruin this by freaking her out. 

"Another rounds you two?" A loud voice boomed making them both jump. Brian looked up and shot a dirty look to Tony, the bartender. He knew him pretty well and knew he was here to bust his balls and interrupted on purpose. 

"Up to this beautiful lady." Brian answered. 

"Sure!" She answered Tony smiling. She then turned to Brian quickly, "Wanna do a shot?" She asked feeling the most relaxed she had in years. 

"Bring over 2 Jamesons!" He called out to Tony. Finally he was started to see Bailee loosen up. 

When their drinks were delivered he quickly reached for both glasses holding them hostage. "Before we take these let's play a little game." He said. 

"Ok?" She responded smiling at his being playful. 

"We each get one question the other has to answer completely honestly. Deal?" He asked. 

Bailee was a little nervous but decided to keep pushing and trust this man. So far he had given her no reason not to. In fact it was quite the opposite, him not opening her backpack showed her she could trust him. "Only if I can go first!" 

"Go ahead, I'm an open book." He said sitting back and taking a sip of his previous beer finishing it off.

"When was your last serious relationship?" She asked. 

"Four years ago. We dated for a year. I opened myself up for the first time in a very long time and got burned in the end. Really haven't looked for anything serious since." He answered honestly. 

"You looking for something serious now?" She asked brushing her hand over his. 

Brian smiled down at their hands touching then looked up at her glance, "That's two questions. Nice try." 

Desperate to know the answer Bailee immediately changed the rules, " Fine then you get to ask me two!" She giggled. 

"Alright." He said taking a pause to sip his beer. "I definitely want to see myself in something serious...pending the right girl is willing to stick around." He then reached over to grab her hand hoping she got the message he was trying to get across.

Bailee definitely did and without giving it another thought took him by surprised as she kissed his lips. She was done feeling afraid and being alone. Her judgement over the years may not have been great but something deep down told her to give this man a chance. Brian took his hand and placed it to her cheek as he found her tongue with his. They kissed like that until they finally had to break apart for air. But once Bailee caught her breath again she was back against his lips. Brian now found it safe to touch her more so slinking his hand over her cheek, down her neck, and body, then finally resting high on her thigh. It took everything in Bailee to not throw her leg over and straddle him right there in that booth but she did pull back from his lips and started to kiss his neck and loved hearing him let out a soft growl. 

As much as Brian could continue this all night he wanted to get his questions answered. "I hope you're not trying to distract me so I forget my questions." He joked, his voice vibrating against Bailee's lips. 

"Give me your best shot." She teased against his skin. 

"Would you consider something serious with the right person?" He asked as she still nibbled on his neck. 

"I would be opened to it, as long as it's someone I can trust and have a connection with." She answered honestly. 

Brian nodded at the answer hoping he would fit this criteria. However before even considering that he had to ask his second question and prayed it didn't make her retreat but decided to put it on hold, for a few at least. "Let's down these shots and head out. I got one more place I wanna show you." He said sliding her shot over to her. 

"But you have one more question." She interrupted. 

"Oh don't worry I won't forget!" He laughed, "Bottoms up!" The two hit their glasses together and tossed back the liquid. Bailee felt like she didn't even have a second to recover before her date threw some cash on the table and took her by the hand to leave.  
________________________________  
"What is this place?" Bailee asked as they entered a garden. 

"Most special, hidden places in all of New York City. Elevated Acres." He said not letting go of her hand as they walked a path through a row of shrubs and bushes. Bailee looked up and saw they were nestled between two huge skyscrapers but that was the only clue you were still in the heart of New York's Financial District. If she had been blindfolded and brought here she would never have known because she was looking at a beautiful garden. The two tall buildings blocked out the sound of traffic and all you could hear were a few people chatting and the sound of the waves in the distance. "Gotta be a true New Yorker to know about this place." He said as they turned a corner and Bailee read the banner 'Elevated Acres Beer Garden' 

"This is so cool!" She smiled as Brian handed her a locally brewed beer in a plastic cup. He quickly paid and took her hand leading to a bench overlooking the harbor. The Statue of Liberty was far off in the distance but you could faintly see the light from her torch. 

"Thank you for sharing this with me." Bailee said as she placed her head on his shoulder. 

"I like sharing things with you Bailee, you are such a special person. And if people ever made you think different, they were sadly wrong." Brian told her reaching across and holding her bare knee. Bailee's heart raced at what he just said. She had been called a lot of things in her life but special certainly was never one of them. In just a short amount of time this man made her feel more amazing than any other person ever had in her life. 

"Bailee I wanna ask something but I just don't want it to scare you off." He said honestly. 

"It won't, I promise." She said taking a deep breath. After such a great night she owed him whatever explanation he was seeking.

"What are you running from baby?" He asked in almost a hushed voice. 

Bailee knew it was coming. It was quite obvious that she came to New York to escape something. When she didn't answer right away Brian spoke up. "You keep your distance from people, jumped the first few times I touched you, your apartment is pretty empty, and you were very nervous when I had your backpack." He said going over all the facts he had put together. "You came to New York to hide from someone didn't you?" He asked. 

A few tears rolled down her cheek. She was about to talk about something she feared every day of her life. "The man I was with..." she started to say but had to pause to swallow the large lump in her throat. "He hurt me...a lot. Him and his family did a lot of bad things including making me feel like I was nothing and deserved everything he did to me. If I stayed in that town I would have never escaped them." Tears began falling faster as she relived in her mind all the pain and abuse she endured for so many years. 

Brian immediately lifted her chin and used his thumbs to wipe her eyes. "Those people are fucking idiots. That part of your life is over and you are safe. Understand?" He asked. 

For the third time since knowing this man she attacked his mouth again and with no one around this time, she did jump over and straddle his lap. Brian wasn't holding back anymore and placed his hands over her ass pulling her against him harder. "I've been trying to be good but I gotta say, your body is fucking incredible Bailee." 

She loved his forwardness and bending her head back she laughed loudly. "I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about these hands for months." 

Brian smiled knowing that she was into him as much as he was her. Rolling his head around checking to make sure they were still alone, he then dropped his glance down her shirt. "Can I?"He mouthed silently. 

Bailee responded with a simple head nod and blushed when Brian brought his hands off her ass and placed them on her breasts over her clothing. He didn't push any further and just enjoyed the feeling of her beneath his hands. With her still on his lap, they enjoyed kissing and whispering sweetly back and forth. The entire time Bailee was proud of herself for finally speaking the truth. Well...half of the truth. Brian still didn't know this man was her husband and that Bailee wasn't even her real name. As she sat on top of him, getting more turned on by the second, she decided to open up to him slowly.  
________________________________  
Brian opted to leave his Jeep where it was and hailed a cab back to Bailee's. They stood outside of her apartment door kissing a little more. They both certainly had the chemistry and attraction to one another. "I'll call you tomorrow?" He asked when he regrettably ended the kissing. 

"Sure." She smiled then made a decision as she looked to her door. "Unless you wanna come in?" She asked looking up at him with a look he wasn't sure he could turn down.  
________________________________

 

Alright Peeps pretty sure you see where this is going....  
Does Brian:  
1) Drop Bailee off and leave.  
2) Take her up on the offer and continue the evening inside her apartment.

Voting Ends Sunday at noon


	6. Feels Like Home To Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co written with Hopedanglesonastring

"Sir, Bradford is here to see you," Linda said as she peeked her head nervously through her bosses door after knocking slightly. 

Roy Parker looked up from his mug of steaming hot coffee that he had yet to sip and frowned to his assistant. He let out an aggravated sigh before nodding, "Ok send him in." 

Valley City's longtime Director of Parks & Recreation hadn't spoken to his only daughters husband in months. That was fine with Roy because the longer he thought about The Kyles family the more he wanted to literally kill Bradford Kyles. 

Roy Parker was never on board with her marrying into the notorious family but what was he to do? Forbid her from seeing the man she loved? As much as he wanted to do just that, he didn't want his daughter resenting him. Even though he always saw right through Bradford Kyles charm he knew Jane Isabella Parker had unfortunately fell victim to it. To this day though, as her father, Roy Parker still blames himself for all she's gone through at the hands of Bradford Kyles. 

Roy Parker wasn't stupid. He raised Janey alone since she was four after her mother died tragically in a car accident. She was his pride and joy, which is how he knew Janey was in trouble.

Besides the new highbrow lifestyle she was now expected to be a part of, her father no longer recognized her. It wasn't just the new designer clothes and sports car. She became distant, fearful and would often cancel the lunch dates they had kept weekly since she graduated high school. Her daily phone calls became less and less. Rumors abounded around town that some people saw bruises and black eyes, others stopped asking Roy where Janey was. Everyone in the small town knew. No one could do anything as long as The Kyles still ran the town.

"Roy." Bradford said confidently, nodding his head slightly in his father-in-laws direction as he took a seat across from his desk.

Wanting to stand up and punch the cocky arrogant smug look right off of his face, Roy Parker instead took a deep breath, squared his jaw and locked eyes on his douchebag son in law, "What can I do for you Brad?"

Bradford hated being called Brad. Roy Parker was well aware of this. "Where's Janey, Roy?" Bradford asked cutting right to the chase.

"Isn't that something a husband should know? Where his wife is?" Roy could feel Bradford's vibe shift and smiled slightly out of the corner of his mouth.

Bradford tensed up in his chair, visibly annoyed. "You think you're clever, Roy" he grimaced smugly, "but you know my father and I could ruin your entire career very, very easily. It's pretty amazing what you can get people to lie about if you dangle enough cash in front of their faces. Retirement is right around the corner, but we could make it all disappear. Your pension. Think of the farm, Parker. Your family farm. You could lose it all. So I suggest the next time I stop by for a chat, you treat me with a little more respect and choose your words wisely." 

Roy parked slammed his fist down on his desk before leaning over and bringing himself in close to his daughters poor excuse of a husband. "You and your entire family can rot in hell. I have no idea where my daughter is because of YOU! Get the hell out of my office, now." 

Bradford let out a low chuckle and smugly stood up. "Oh don't you worry, Dad." he mockingly joked as he patted Roy on the shoulder, "I've hired the best private investigator money can buy. It's only a matter  
of time before I find her and bring her back where she belongs.. to me."  
________________________________

"Mmm Bailee," Brian moaned seductively when his lips broke apart from hers. 

Brian gladly accepted her invitation to come in and he followed with his hand on the small of her back as she lead him up the stairs into her apartment. They found their way to her couch about twenty minutes ago but haven't moved since. Their bodies intertwined with each other, they continued their make-out session from the garden, both content in being in each other's company. 

That is until Bailee suddenly became nervous. As much as she trusted Brian and enjoyed his strong hands caressing her body, was she ready to have sex with someone? She was still married. The thoughts screamed louder in her head until she pulled her lips back from his.

"Brian?" Bailee whispered nervously and gazed into Brian's eyes. 

"Yes, beautiful?" He gently stopped kissing her and laid his head back on the couch cushion.

She smiled at how adorable he was. You'd think a guy of his fame would have at least one cocky, arrogant bone in his body. But Bailee had yet to see it. She hoped what she was about to say didn't spark any of those negatives traits in him.

"I'd really like if you'd spent the night..." she lowered her eyes and began twiddling her fingers nervously.

Brian glanced down and grabbed her hand, calming it.. "But..?" he said nodding his head assuringly so she would continue.

Bailee smiled sheepishly, "Would it be ok if we.. if we just slept? I just.. I'm not sure I'm read..."

Brian leaned in and quickly placed a soft kiss to her lips. "I would love nothing more than to spend the night sleeping next to you Bailee." His thumb gently brushed against her cheek. 

A warmth washed over her and instantly she realized he felt like home. Not Bradford's home, but before her life became so chaotic. Warm, safe and protective. She wasn't the only one that felt it because Cooper lept up on the couch, landing right on Brian and Bailee’s laps.

Bailee giggled, "Looks like someone does not want to be left out!" she said as she watched Cooper nuzzle into Brian's chests

"Ok, ok Cooper yep, you too buddy. I'm honored to spend the night with you too bud!" Brian laughed as the dog continued licking his cheek.

For the first time in a very long time, Bailee was genuinely laughing and smiling .. and all because of a man.

________________________________

"Jesus Christ Bradford, it's Steve for Christ sake," Janey responded annoyingly as she walked in to her master bathroom, removing the diamond earrings she was wearing.

The married couple had just returned from a huge black tie party that was thrown for Judge Bentley Kyles. It was celebrating 40 years as a judge in Barnes County. The entire town was there, including the Governor of North Dakota. 

However without fail, Janey managed to somehow piss off her husband Bradford. This time it seems he was displeased by her speaking with Steve, his father’s longtime Bailiff.

Naturally Bradford indulged in several alcoholic beverages so by this time of the night, he was good and wasted. Janey was annoyed as usual and seldom spoke back to Bradford. Maybe she was feeling bolder since she began to put her plan to leave in motion. She had been secretly putting money aside, she had a spare suitcase filled with clothes stashed at her fathers house and was scooping out apartments in New York City.

“You’re a fucking embarrassment Janey.” Bradford said as he followed her closely unto he bathroom. He undid the bow tie on his tuxedo and then immediately grabbed his wife by her arm twisting it awkwardly behind her back.

“Dammit Bradford knock it off,” Janey screamed as she tried to wiggle free from the strong grip her husband had on her arm. 

“When are you gonna fucking learn to not embarrass me dammit,” he screamed into her ear as his free hand grabbed her long wavy brown hair and slammed her head hard into the mirror over her vanity.

Janey cried out in pain as blood trickled down her face, “Stop it Bradford, let me go!” She wailed trying desperately to break free.

“You’re the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my entire life. Bitch, “ he screamed before slamming her head one more time into the mirror before letting her go. 

As Janey slid down to the floor, she wailed out in pain as she began to lose consciousness from the pool of blood that was seeping from her head. Everything went dark.

Bailees eye flicked open unaware of where she was. Brian’s arms around her startled her, so fought them off of her and jumped off the bed and into the corner of the room. Her heart was racing a mile a minute as she looked around.

Brian sat up and rubbed his eyes. He quickly began piecing together what was happening. “Hey, Bailee.. it’s ok. I think you just had a nightmare.”

Bailee looked at him wide-eyed and nodded. Embarrassed she began to speak.“I’m - I’m so sorry Brian.. “ 

Brian stood up from the bed and walked over to her cautiously, “Come here.. its ok. It was just a dream, “ he whispered quietly as he gently enveloped her in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder as he stroked her back.

Leading her back towards the bed he noticed Cooper cowering in another corner of the room. The dog became startled when Bailee jumped up out of the bed also. After getting Bailee back in bed, he walked over and scooped up Cooper.

“Let’s not forget Coop,” he joked gently as he placed the dog slowly back on the bed. “Can I get you some water?” Brian asked once he got both the dog and her settled.

Bailee was still slightly shaken from her nightmare but a small smile spread over her lips at how amazing Brian was through all of this. “No, thank you though. I’d just like for you to cuddle up next to me again and fall asleep if that’s ok?”

Brian smiled as he crawled back next to her and Coop in the bed. He pulled her body in close to his and ran his fingers through her hair. Kissing the side of his head, he hoped to put her at ease and whispered, “I’m right here. Nothing is going to happen to you.” 

Before he was even finished speaking, he could already hear Bailee gently snoring. She was already passed back out. He smiled gently and grabbed his phone off the nightstand to check the time. It was 3:17am, but the faint glow of his phone caused him to notice something out of the corner of his eye. The nightstand drawer was opened slightly and he saw what he thought was the trigger of a gun. Turning his phone off, he quietly opened the dresser drawer a little wider and saw a black handgun with the safety on.  
Brians heart sunk once he realized the girl he was falling for, was in more trouble than he first realized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry you all didn’t get the chapter you were expecting lol! Promise we will make it worth it!! Next choices are below and voting ends Wednesday at 5pm! 
> 
> The next morning should Brian:
> 
> A. Ask Bailee about her dream?
> 
> B. Ask Bailee about the gun in her drawer?


	7. With Careful Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co written with Hopedanglesonastring

Brian began stirring from his sleep and was confused when he felt something strange on his face. As he began shaking the sleepiness from his head he realized he was being licked over and over again. When he opened his eyes he was nose to nose with a little brown and white dog who was currently licking his cheeks. 

"Well you got over your shyness quickly." Brian mumbled with a laugh as the little dog sat on his chest, tail wagging. When Cooper started licking inside of his ear that's when Brian had to give him a gentle nudge. "Alright!" He laughed getting tickled by the dog's tongue. "Buy me dinner first buddy!" 

With her back turned away from them, Bailee couldn't help but smile at how adorable Brian sounded talking to Cooper. It also shocked her at how much he was warming up to another man. Her ex had hit that dog so many times, he was almost impossible around people. However just like Brian was handling her, he was understanding and moved at their pace. Even though she was awake, she was apprehensive to turn around and let Brian know that she was awake. Last night wasn't her first nightmare that relived her past, but it was the first time anyone else had witnessed it. She was embarrassed and didn't know how to explain this to him. 

Suddenly she felt the bed dip a bit as Brian shifted and quietly padded out of the bedroom. A sharp ping of sadness went through her body as she wondered if he was leaving. "Let's try to find out where your mom keeps your food pal." She heard him whisper on the other side of the door with the dog right on his heels. 

Bailee waited a few more minutes under her blanket getting lost in her thoughts. Despite the nightmare, she couldn't help but think how soundly she slept last night. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she felt safe against someone's warm body. There was no need to wake up scared to death that she was finally found and fear that the second she opened her bedroom door there would be someone standing in the shadows.   
________________________________  
"Ah huh, bingo!" Brian called out when he finally found the bag of dog food in the closet off of the kitchen. "Here ya go Coop." He said filling up his empty dog bowl. 

He looked down as the dog happily wagged his tail as he gobbled up his breakfast. Brian decided to hang back and wait for Bailee to wake up. Something that was totally out of his normal routine, usually the first thing Brian Quinn liked to do after spending the night at a woman's house was get out as quickly as possible but this wasn't any regular woman. 

As he navigated around the small kitchenette in Bailee's apartment he accidentally kicked the side of Cooper's food bowl. Just the smallest action caused the little dog to jump and quickly scamper under the table. "Woah! I'm sorry bud." Brian apologized feeling horrible for scaring the poor thing. He knelt down and saw him shaking like a leaf, "Shit, I'm sorry. Come on out Cooper." He kept coaxing. Very slowly the dog inched out with his ears and tail down. After smelling Brian's hand he began wagging his tail slowly. "What the hell happened to you both?" He whispered as he patted the dog softly.   
________________________________  
Bailee finally gained up the courage to get up and say good morning to her house guest. When she rounded the corner and entered the tiny kitchen she saw Brian leaning against the counter fiddling with his phone. "Good morning." She said softly. 

"Good morning." He smiled putting his phone down and pulling her into his body. Bailee took a minute to bury her face into his shirt and smell the comfort she was beginning to feel around him. She smiled when she felt him kiss her lips. "Didn't think it was possible for a girl to look so sexy in just sweats and bedhead but you do." He complimented. 

"Shut up." She laughed but was unsuccessful in hiding the blushing of her cheeks. 

After sharing a few more sweet kisses Brian's phone rang with a work call. Bailee mouthed that she was going to take a shower real quick. As she stood under the water she ran her fingers over the few random scars that were usually hidden my clothing. She was so caught up in the moment with Brian last night, she didn't even know what she would have said if he questioned her on them if she had taken her clothes off. They were random scars she had collected over the years from the different acts of abuse. Her largest one ran along her rib cage; that was the scariest night of her life where she was certain she was going to die.  
________________________________  
7 months earlier

Janey had just gotten home from her high school reunion. It had been 10 years, she couldn't believe it. Bradford was out of town for work so she went solo and it was the best night she had remembered having in the longest time. Valley City was a small town and many moved away so it was nice to see old friends and catch up. She made sure to ignore the looks of pity shot her way from people who had their suspicions about Janey's marriage. It's funny how life works, when Janey first started dating Bradford Kyles she was thought to be the luckiest girl in the world but now those same people saw the marks and bruises and they knew the truth. 

Janey pulled her Mercedes-Benz CLS into the driveway of her and Bradford's beautiful home and that's when her heart dropped. Sitting in the driveway was Bradford's matching Mercedes. It was not there when she had left. He wasn't due back from his work trip until tomorrow night which was exactly why Janey didn't even bother telling him about all her old classmates meeting for drinks at one of the local bars. 

Nervously she unlocked the door with her key and took a few deep breaths. All the lights were out except the one leading upstairs. She kicked off her Jimmy Choo's and tip toed upstairs. When she flicked on the light to the master bedroom there was Bradford sitting on the bed...waiting. 

"I come home early to surprise my wife." He said coldly sharing her down intensely. "How do you think I felt when she wasn't fucking here?!" He shouted standing to his feet. 

"I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't wanna bother you. I know you were working." Janey stuttered back up away from her husband. 

"Where were you?!" Bradford barked, the smell of vodka coming from his breath. 

"Lots of people from high school got together down...downtown Bradford." She tried to explain. "I only went for a couple hours." 

"Was Wes there?" Bradford asked. 

"What?" Janey asked. She heard him but didn't know if she should lie or not. Wesley Sherman was her old high school boyfriend. They only ended things because Wesley was going to college in California. 

"You fucking heard me!" Bradford yelled slapping his wife across the face watching her fall back against the wall. 

"Bradford Stop!" Janey yelled. "I'm sorry but you can't keep hitting me!" She cried holding her cheek. 

"I can do whatever the fuck I want!" He yelled, "Now tell me bitch was Wesley there?!"   
Tears streamed down her face as she nodded yes. She saw no point in lying. He was going to be mad either way. "You fuck him?!" Bradford yelled. "Huh?! You fucking whore, you fucked him didn't you?!" He then lunged towards her slamming her head into the wall. 

"Bradford!" Janey yelled trying to push him away. "No I didn't! I would never!" 

"You are MY wife!" He screamed in her face. "I'm out working and you're spending my money and fucking other guys. You stupid bitch!" That's when Bradford knocked her to the floor and quickly picked up a vase smashing it over her body. 

With her bleeding and holding her side in pain, Bradford left for the night but not before yelling behind him for her to clean up the mess.   
________________________________  
Bailee emerged from the shower and quickly dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Brian was fully dressed at this point and smiled when he saw her. Copper was pacing like crazy by the door. "Okay buddy, we're going." Bailee said grabbing his leash. "Up for a walk?" She asked Brian. 

"Absolutely, we'll grab some breakfast on the way." He suggested.   
________________________________  
As they walked down the street Brian had his arm firmly around her waist pulling her close. He kissed the top of her head as they waited for the light to change so they could cross. When he did little things like this, it made her feel so cherished and protected. 

Finally she mustered up enough courage to address last night. "Guess you kinda want an explanation for last night, huh?" She said shyly. 

Brian shook his head. "Kinda already figured it out babe." He responded. "You were clearly abused by whatever asshole you were with before." He paused when he saw the look of embarrassment on her face. "You have dreams about it a lot?" He asked. 

"Not all the time, I think I'm just not used to sharing a bed with someone anymore so when I woke up I panicked. I'm sorry if I freaked you out." She said sadly. 

"Bailee? I gotta ask you something and I want you to know I'm very sympathetic to your situation..." he started to say. 

"Okay?" She nodded her head a little nervous on what he was going to ask. 

"Bailee, why do you need a gun?" He asked. 

Instantly Bailee stopped walking and looked at the man beside her horrified. "I don't have a gun." 

Brian sighed heavily a little annoyed that she wasn't being honest. "Your top drawer was opened a little bit, I saw it Bailee. Please don't lie to me. I think I've been more than understanding with a lot of things so please don't lie to me." Bailee remained quiet not knowing what to say. She wasn't mad at Brian for seeing it but she was mad at herself for being so careless. "Is it legal?" Brian asked breaking the awkward silence. When she still didn't answer him he shook his head in disapproval. "Do you know how dangerous that is if you get caught with an illegal firearm?!" He said in a harsh whisper. "That's a felony Bailee." 

"And do you know how much more dangerous it would be for me if I didn't have it?!" Bailee barked back. She really liked this guy but she wasn't about to stand on a street corner and defend herself. "I understand it's a lot to take in and I'm sorry about that. I care about you Brian but if you can't handle how I live my life in order to feel safe I understand." 

Brian's eyebrows shot up in shock. He wasn't expecting her to give him this ultimatum. However now that he was given one, he wasn't exactly sure how to respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does Brian do:
> 
> 1) Tell Bailee he understands and puts the illegal gun aside. 
> 
> 2) Explain it's too much for him to handle and wish her the best of luck.
> 
> Voting ends Monday at 5pm


	8. I Wounded the Good and Trusted the Wicked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co written with Hopedanglesonastring

Brian held his hands up in defense and took a deep sigh. It took him so long to get her to even agree to a date, the last thing he wanted to do was lose her by saying the wrong thing. "Bailee, I can't help you if you don't tell me exactly what's going on. Who are these people?" He took a step forward and rubbed her arms gently with his hands. 

His voice sounded sincere and Bailee saw the pain in his eyes. She wanted to tell him everything, to leap into these arms of his and stay there for awhile. She wanted to. But she didn't. She couldn't, for more than one reason."I don't need your help Brian. I'm doing just fine on my own. Ya know, I think I'm just gonna head home, I'm not really feeling like breakfast anymore."

Brian didn't know what to say as he watched Bailee shrug away from him briskly. Turning around she and Cooper headed back up the sidewalk they just walked down.  The happy dog from a few minutes ago now had his tail between his legs. He kept taking little peeks back at Brian as if he was pleading for his newfound friend to say something, anything.  "Bailee wait."

Turning around, she saw Brian jogging over to her. She looked down as he grabbed her hand.  It was warm. She immediately never wanted to let it go. "I'm not going anywhere Bailee, ok? I'm not leaving either of you."  
________________________________

Lucy cleared her throat for the second time, finally catching Bailees attention. Wiping down the diner counter after lunch rush Bailee was humming loudly to herself and hadn't seen her work friend. "Girl you got it bad."

Bailee playfully swatted Lucy with her dish towel. "Oh Shush, I do not."

Lucy smirked as she shook her head, "You've been humming this same song, with a goofy smile plastered on your face for days now. I do believe you've got it bad girl."

The blush spread over Bailees face as she briefly thought about him. She was so thankful he dropped the subject of the gun. It was then that her stomach began to turn as she thought about how she was lying to him.

"Tell me, what's he like in bed?!" Lucy giggled excitedly.

Bailee rolled her eyes and she handed her a tub of utensils, "You're ridiculous. Here, go wrap silverware!"  
________________________________

 

"Hey. HEY," Jordan's voice screeched louder as she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "What the fuck is with you? I've hardly seen you and now you're zoned the fuck out over drinks. Wait, is this about Cherry Lane girl?!"  Jordan's annoyance turned in to girlish delight as her eyes darted back and forth between Sal and Brian. Her hands played a silent drumroll on the table as she waited for one of her oldest friends to spill the beans.

A small smile spread over his lips as he thought to how beautiful Bailee looked this morning morning in sweats. "Things with Bailee are good," he answered simply before wrapping his hand around his beer and taking a sip.

Jordan narrowed her eyes clearly aware he was holding back so she tried a different approach. "Ya know.. I googled Bailee Davis. I didn't find anything. That's... odd." 

Brian raised his eyebrows in Jordan's direction his voice clear and direct, "Why did you google her?" 

Jordan rolled her eyes at how naive he was being , "Oh come on dude, don't tell me you didn't?!?" 

"No! I didn't. Why would I google her? Can't I just take her out and get to know her. Why does everything have to be swiping right and texting and stalking her Facebook page?" Brian was getting annoying by this conversation. Mostly because he was at the point where he DID want to google her because some things just weren't adding up however the last person he wanted knowing that was Jordan.

Jordan ignored what he said and kept going, "But don't you think it's odd that she doesn't have social media? I mean.. everyone has SOMETHING!" she emphasized holding up her smartphone. Brian glanced at it, remember how Bailee only has a flip phone. 

Sal sipped on his beer as he watched the conversation between his two best friends. He knew Brian was struggling with some things about Cherry Lane girl also so he made sure to keep his mouth shut before he inadvertently gave any fuel to Jordan's fire.  They both knew how she could be.

"Jordan I couldn't care less that she doesn't have social media. In fact, I kinda dig it." Brian answered matter of factly before shrugging as he took another sip of his beer. "Don't make this into a thing. I know how you get."  

Jordan rolled her eyes yet again and huffed, "Listen, I love you both and people out there can suck. That's all I'm saying," she said defiantly with her hands raised. 

"Brian is happy and I'm happy for him, so I say we toast to that!" Sal said as he raised his glass along with Jordan and Brian. 

Brian smiled at Sal, "Thanks bud, and thank you too Jordan." He said before patting her hand on the table. "But I can handle myself. I gotta run. I'll cover the tab." Brian stood up and gave Jordan a kiss on the cheek and patted Sal on the shoulder before heading over to the bar to settle up the tab.

Jordan's head immediately darted in Sal's direction. "Ok spill it. What do you know. I know somethings up with him."

Sal rolled his eyes, "Jordan seriously. Come on. Leave the guy alone. He's happy, that's what matters."

Jordan sipped her beer and look st Sal. She huffed and rolled her eyes before reluctantly giving in. "Fine. Fine. If you say so."  
________________________________

"What the FUCK is taking so long Tim? I thought you were the best. It's been two weeks and that's ALL you have?!" Bradford slammed his fist down in frustration. 

"Mr. Kyles, I know you want your wife back home but these things take time." The private investigator wasn't intimidated by the Kyles family any more. He had long had a history of dealing with the Judge and knew how this family operated.

"If you don't have more information for me in the next 48 hours, I will fly to New York City myself and drag her back here and you won't get another DIME from me! Do you understand?!"  Bradford wasn't interested in any excuses from this guy anymore. He wanted Janey back home and he wanted it now.

"You have nothing to worry about sir. I have a new lead I'm working. It should be very interesting."  
________________________________

The next week flew by quickly for Brian and Bailee. After work they would spend some time together, cooking dinner or just going for a walk with Cooper. The gun was never far from Brian's mind but it was far more important for him to prove to Bailee that she could trust him and that she was safe and he seemed to be doing that well.

"Um .... these JUST CAME FOR YOU!!" Lucy squawked in delight as she walked back into the kitchen holding two dozed pink and red long stem roses.

Bailees eyes grew big and her cheeks flushed red. Lucy assumed these were from Brian and Bailee hoped they were too but she also still had to be really careful. Reaching for the card, she held her breath as she opened it and read it:

Bailee,

Thank you and Cooper for letting me in to your lives. 

Hugs and Kisses, Brian.  
_______________________________

Sneaking away from the hustle and bustle of the lunch crowd that was slowly dying down , Bailee reached into her waitress apron pulling out her cell phone. She knew Brian was filming today, but she wanted to leave him a message thanking him for the gorgeous flowers. 

The phone rang three times before Brian picked up much to her surprised.

"Hey" Brian said clearly recognizing her number he had programmed into his phone.

Bailee was caught off guard, "Hi, sorry I know you're filming, I didn't want to interrupt so I was just gonna leave you a message."

Brian smiled into the phone, "It's ok, we're on a break. I'm glad you called I was just thinking of you."

Bailees heart skipped a beat hearing him say he was thinking about her. "Thank you so much for the flowers Brian, they are absolutely stunning."

"You deserve them Bailee. Listen, I wanted to ask you. I really would like for you and Cooper to come stay with me this weekend. I can pick you up after work tomorrow. But Bailee, I need you to leave the gun.  You're safe with me. Will you stay with me?"  
_______________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What should Bailee do?
> 
> A.  Turn down Brian's invitation  
> B.  Agree to stay with Brian for the weekend and leave the gun behind.
> 
> Voting closes on Friday at noon, get your votes in people!!


	9. Sleeping Pup and Angry Cats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co written with hopedanglesonastring

"This better be good Tim. I've a very busy man." Bradford said rolling his eyes. It had been a little over a week and so far he wasn't impressed with this PI, especially considering how much he charged. 

With his backed turned he rolled his eyes, everyone in the county knew Bradford Kyles wasn't busy. When your daddy gave you everything you needed, working wasn't top priority. "This is good news Mr. Kyles." He insisted taking a spot behind his desk and flipping his computer screen towards his client. 

Bradford leaned forward and saw Janey on the screen getting into a large Greyhound bus at the Grand Forks Station that was located about 2 hours away. Her hair was cut shorter and dyed back to her natural brown color, Bradford much preferred blondes and had her change her hair shortly after they met. "You already showed me this footage, we know she got on a bus to New York. You called me down here for this?!" Bradford asked very annoyed at this point. 

Tim exhaled deeply at his client's arrogant attitude. "This you've seen but not the next piece of footage I have." He then quickly clicked on a different file and up popped another bus station. Bradford squinted his eyes and noticed the date in the corner was two days after Janey had left North Dakota. The surveillance cameras picked up Janey sitting on a bench outside the bus station. She sat on the bench swinging her legs back and forth hugging her backpack. Tim fast forwarded the video a bit until a cab pulled up and Janey got in. Clearing his throat Tim explained that he was able to zoom in and get the number off of the cab. "I have a call into the cab company and luckily they save all records of pick up and drop offs so the supervisor over there is looking back to see where she was dropped off. 

"How long?" Bradford asked watching as the cab with Janey in it disappeared from the view of the camera. 

"End of business tomorrow I'm thinking. It's been a number of months, they gotta go back and check their logs." Tim answered. "Then after that I should be pointed in the right direction on where to go." 

"This is good Tim." Bradford smiled, "This is very good."   
____________________________________  
"Don't look at me like that!" Brian scolded his middle cat, Chessie. The fat gray cat was giving him a look of disapproval about being placed down in the basement. Brian had just finished filling the water and food bowls and was headed upstairs to grab the litter boxes when his oldest, Benjamin, jumped on the top step blocking the door. "You too?!" He exclaimed. Brian reached over and picked up his best pal. "Come on guys, this girl is really important to me, plus you hang down here half the time anyway." He continued then stopped to think how insane he probably sounded arguing with cats. When he decided to invite Bailee over for the night he didn't wanna leave any room for excuses on why she couldn't so he extended the invite to her dog and luckily his plan worked. "Look guys, I'll make it up to you. I promise." He added as he headed back up the stairs refusing to look at three sad little faces behind him.   
____________________________________  
House was clean, fresh sheets were on the bed, and dinner was currently simmering on the stove. Tonight was going to go perfect. 

At promptly 7 o'clock his doorbell rang and he turned down the volume a bit on the music he had been listening to. When he opened the door he nearly lost his breath by her beauty. It has been a long time since he thought of a girl as anything but just a good time and although he couldn't wait to have Bailee in that way, she was so much more. 

Bailee nervously twiddled with Coopers leash in her hands. She was still trying to wrap her mind around this man wanting her to spend all weekend with him. Thanks to Lucy, she was able to borrow a few different outfits in case they ended up going out but Bailee was perfectly happy staying in. Even though Brian as being super sweet and patient, he was a man and knew she would be crazy to have him keep waiting. And truth be told, she didn't want to wait anymore either. 

"I feel like I should have a metal detector at my front door with you around." Brian joked. 

At first Bailee got nervous at his statement but when she saw the playfully glimmer to his eyes she relaxed. "You ever turn off Q or is he on 24/7?" She teased back sticking her tongue out. 

Quickly Brian reached out and grabbed it between his thumb and index finger. "Why don't we put this to better use." He said dropping his mouth to hers and quickly attacking her with hard sexy kisses. She did what he suggested and ran her tongue along his and smiled when he let out a moan and reached around grabbing her waist tightly. "I want you Bailee." He said not being able to be so well behaved anymore. "I'm trying to give you as much time as you need but..." He then backed up so he could look her up and down. Letting out a soft growl he shook his head, "It's getting harder and harder." He told her being honest. 

Bailee knew she must be blushing; she was ready to give herself to another man finally. Feeling a little bold she reached her hand down over Brian's pants, "Funny you should mention...hard." She said biting her lip at the excitement growing in the confines of this man's jeans. 

Brian took a chance and lifted Bailee up and pulled her legs around his waist telling her to hang on. He took one step towards the stairs and lost his footing. Stumbling with Bailee still in his arms he looked down and noticed he has tripped over Cooper's still attached leash. "Shit, sorry Buddy." He said addressing the dog who looked more annoyed than scared as he jumped up on the couch to get out of the way. 

"He's fine." Bailee insisted desperate to get upstairs to this man's bedroom. 

Brian smiled and then continued on his way across the living room when a lightbulb suddenly went off in his head. "Oh wait...two seconds." He said changing directions and heading for the kitchen with Bailee still wrapped around his waist giggling. Quickly going over to the stove that was still on, he flicked the knob off.

"Smells really good." Bailee complimented, the delicious scent of garlic and rosemary filling the room. 

"Later." He growled as he exited the kitchen; they were starting with dessert tonight. Bailee nibbled on Brian's neck as they made their way up the stairs. The flannel shirt he was wearing was pushed off by Bailee's hands and fell to the floor leaving him in just a black T-shirt. 

Suddenly something neither were expecting, the front door swung opened, "Knock knock!" A woman's voice called out. "Q?!" Jordan yelled turning around the shut the heavy wooden door. 

Brian and Bailee both looked over the banister. "Jordan! What the fuck?!" He exclaimed in pure frustration as he regrettably placed Bailee back down on her feet. 

"Oh!" Jordan shouted, "I'm so sorry! I should have knocked!" One of Brian's oldest friends turned bright red of embarrassment. She had no idea she would be interrupting...whatever this was but they did seem to be heading upstairs so one could assume what was happening. 

"Yeah, you should have." Brian said through gritted teeth, the bulge in his pants quickly going down.

"I'm sorry, you just left this in my car the other day." Jordan explained holding up the recording microphone Brian liked to use for TESD. Jordan would go for company quite frequently for the trips down to Jersey. 

"Thanks." Brian grumbled tossing it on the table. "You can go now." He said shooting her a death stare feeling Bailee's uncomfortableness growing. 

"Well Quinn clearly has no manners, Bailee right?!" Jordan smiled brightly to her best friend's date. "I'm Jordan, I don't think we've officially met." 

"I saw you at the wedding I was working." Bailee said with a forced smile. There was nothing wrong with a man and woman being friends but it seemed odd that Jordan would just walk into his house like it was nothing. "Nice to meet you!"

An awkward silence feel over the room for a moment until Jordan spoke up once again. "So I know you're fairly new to New York, we should grab drinks one night...girls night." She said smiling at Bailee then locked eyes with Q who looked like he was about to lose his mind. She knew she clearly interrupted something good. 

"Oh.. yeah sure that sounds fun. Thank you!" Bailee said taken aback by the invite but wanted to be polite to Brian's friend. 

"Great!" Jordan smiled, "I'll get your number from Q and text you next week." As she turned to head to the door she patted Brian on the shoulder in a 'buddy-buddy manner'. "Have a good night you two." She winked and was quickly gone.

"Sometimes I really hate her." Brian said under his breath. 

"Seems like the universe is trying to keep us from having our night together." Bailee teased biting her lip as she looked up at him. 

"Fuck the universe!" Brian suddenly growled as he bent down and threw Bailee over his shoulder. This was the first time he was showing some sort of aggression towards her but for a very strange reason Bailee didn't flinch. Instead she giggled with delight as this sexy man practically ran up his staircase.

Brian didn't place her down until they were in his bedroom and it was more of a toss than being placed down gently. Bailee's heart was beating so fast at this moment. She was about to be intimate with another man for the first time in years and so far he was perfect. It was then that Bailee decided to reach down and remember what things were like before her marriage, before she had sex because it was just her "job" as a the woman.

Quickly pulling her shirt over her head she smiled as Brian worked on her pants. Laying there in just her bra and underwear she started breathing heavily with anticipation. "Take me Brian." She whispered. 

"I'm gonna make you feel better than you've ever felt." He whispered against her skin as he kissed his way down her body. Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt Brian take her panties between his teeth and pull them down her legs. Once those were disposed of, he ducked down to take in her scent. She quivered under his breath. Within moments his mouth and tongue connected to her and that's when she finally understood real pleasure. 

"Holy shit..." she moaned. "You're amazing." 

For a second Brian stopped what he was doing and raised his eyebrow, "I'm just getting started baby." He smiled then went back to his task. It didn't take long for Bailee to completely unravel with Brian between her legs but even then he still wasn't stopping. Bailee felt indescribable as he sucked on her clit and licked the hood of her pussy violently. Never in her life had Bailee been with a man that was more concerned about her pleasure than his own. It wasn't even just her ex that she was referring to, it was any guy she had been with in the past. However tonight as she gripped his bedsheets so tightly screaming out his name over and over again, Brian helped Bailee rediscover just how amazing sex could truly be. 

Once he was finally satisfied that he rocked this girl's world he slinked back up her body kissing his previous path and settling on her lips. Bailee tasted herself as he gave her hot and sloppy kisses. It was then that a fire erupted inside of her and using all her might she flipped Brian onto his back and quickly pulled at his boxers. "Fuck." She muttered once she set eyes on him. Large, hard, neatly trimmed; the guy just kept getting better and better. 

Dropping her lips around him she instantly felt him twitch in her mouth. "Oh yeah..." she heard him say under his breath. "I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about this countless times." He admitted smiling down at the hot girl giving him one of the best suckings he could remember. 

"Me too." She admitted quickly before continuing. She held him at the base caressing his balls as she worked her mouth as far down as she could. The ooze of precum only made her want him more so she had no choice but to suck even harder. 

"Ahh!" Brian cried out feeling her nibble a bit on his tip. He let out a soft chuckle at a new side of this girl he was already crazy about. "I knew there was a bad girl inside." Brian reached his hands down into her hair; he was too busy enjoying the pleasure flooding his body to realize this small action made Bailee flinch. 

She couldn't count how many times her head used to be held down as she was forced to suck his dick. Quietly she talked herself through it though and told herself that Brian wasn't being forceful like her ex. She concentrated on his hands and realized he was rubbing her hair affectionately and lightly caressing the back of her neck. This wasn't power, this was tender and warm; this was exactly how sex was supposed to be. 

Bailee continued pleasing Brian until he suddenly pulled away. "What's wrong?" She asked. 

"Getting too close babe." He said with a sly smile. "That won't be a great first impression." He winked. 

"Certainly hasn't been bad so far." She said biting her lip then came up with an idea. Before Brian knew what was happening, Bailee climbed on top of him. "Do you have a..." She began to ask. 

"Top drawer." He answered pointing to his nightstand. 

Quickly reaching over, a suddenly wave of relief washed over her when she realized the box of condoms wasn't open. Bailee carefully removed it from the packaging and slid it over his hardness.   
"Fucking hell do you look hot." He moaned staring up at a Bailee that was panting and ready to drop on top of him. 

"Ahh Brian!" She cried out once she felt him begin to stretch her. Bailee began working him the best she could. As she rocked back and forth she noticed by his face that she was excelling at pleasuring him. 

"Fuck Bailee...you're so good baby. Fuck me harder you bad girl." He said opening his eyes so he could watch her beautiful tits bounce up and down. Bailee leaned back so her pussy was on full display to the man beneath her. Picking his head up off the mattress he was able to watch his cock go in and out and groaned in pleasure. With her clit right there for the taking he couldn't hold back and reached down pinching it between his fingers. "Oh my...fuck Brian!" She screamed, the immense pleasure almost too much to bare. 

"That's right baby! Fuck my cock!" He commanded as he continued pinching and flicking her most sensitive area. "Scream my name Bailee, tell all the neighbors who fucks you good!" 

"Brian! Brian! Oh Brian!" Bailee cried out as cum shot out all over Brian's cock, stomach, and thighs. 

"Holy shit!" Brian exclaimed in amazement when he looked down. Never in his life had he seen a girl cum like this. It was the sexiest thing he had ever seen; this made him lose control instantly and he shut his eyes as he released as well. 

Bailee rolled off, out of breath, and completely exhausted. "Wow...just fucking wow." Brian said laying beside her gasping for his own breath. 

Bailee began to giggle snuggling into his side hiding her face. 

"Oh no you don't." Brian replied pushing her away from his side, "Don't be going back to shy innocent Bailee on me, not after what I just saw!" He smiled shaking his head. 

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about about." She teased and no matter how hard she tried was unable to wipe the smile off her face. 

"Yeah you don't know what I'm talking about." He countered rolling his eyes. It was then that he glanced down and got an idea. Realizing there was just no getting enough of this girl he ducked down and began licking at her thighs. 

Bailee instantly began laughing trying to move away, "Oh my god! What are you doing?!" She exclaimed not possibly believing he was ready to go again. 

"I just like to clean up my mess." He mumbled as he continued licking this girl clean. "Stay still." He ordered against her skin biting down gently. 

Bailee did as she was told and even though he wasn't technically licking her sex, it was the single most erotic thing she had ever experienced. For several minutes Brian just laid between her legs teasing and lapping up any mess that was left.   
____________________________________  
It didn't take long for Bailee to doze off, so quietly Brian slipped out of bed, redressed, and descended downstairs. He laughed when he noticed the small dog on his couch snuggled up snoozing away. "Glad you made yourself at home buddy." He said the sleeping dog. 

Brian then carefully opened the basement door to go check on his own pets. When he noticed they were still pretty pissed off at him he bolted upstairs grabbing something from the the kitchen cabinet. He returned quickly with three cans of tuna and paper plates. "Peace offering." He stated to them as he placed the food down for them. The three Quinn cats happily gobbled up their gift and rubbed affectionately against his legs. "See you guys can't hate me forever." He smiled satisfied that all was forgiven. "I'll be back down in a bit." He told them then made his way back upstairs to see if he could save the dinner he had abandoned earlier. 

While in the kitchen he saw his phone go off with an incoming text. 

Jordan: I wasn't kidding about getting to know Bailee. Text me her number so I can make plans.   
PS: Hope your night goes well ;) 

Brian instantly felt an annoyance in his gut. He had been friends with Jordan pretty much his whole life and never once was she interested in getting to know any of the girls he went out with, including his ex-fiancé. In fact, Jordan would just have preferred to pretend she had never existed. So why was she so adamant with Bailee? He was working really hard on getting Bailee to let her guard down, the last thing he wanted was for Jordan to spook her and have her put those walls right back up. As Brian worked on finished up dinner before waking Bailee, he thought long and hard on sending Jordan her number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Help Brian out with his decision: 
> 
> A: Does he give Jordan Bailee's number?   
> B: Or tell his friend to back off for now?
> 
> Voting ends on Saturday at noon


End file.
